The US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine received ticks collected from Scouts and associated support Personnel at the National Scout Jamboree from 23 July to 1 August 2001. A field laboratory was set up on-site at the Jamboree and ticks were identified, processed and tested for appropriate pathogens of human concern. This was a follow-on from the previous Jamboree in 1997 where approximately 1200 ticks were submitted in the 10 day period. Previously, Conventional PCR was employed to detect tick-borne pathogens. During the 2001 Jamboree Real-time PCR was employed to facilitate rapid turn around of detection results. With Real-time PCR up to 3 pathogens can be accurately detected in one test in less than one hour.
Species 1: Acari Ixodidae Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick)
Species 2: Rickettsiaceae Ehrlichieae Ehrlichia chaffeensis (human monocytic Ehrlichia)
Keywords: Real Time PCR, Tick-borne disease
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA